Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean

Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

A #READ WITH MC BOOK CLUB PICK

"A wonderful, life-affirming story about second chances, parenthood, and love..."--Lauren Ho, author of Lucie Yi is Not a Romantic and Last Tang Standing

From Emiko Jean, the author of the New York Times bestselling young adult novels Tokyo Ever After and Tokyo Dreaming, comes a whip-smart, laugh-out-loud funny, and utterly heartwarming novel about motherhood, daughterhood, and love--how we find it, keep it, and how it always returns.

Mika Suzuki's life is a mess. Fired from a dead-end job, she shares a home with her best friend, who just might be a hoarder if all the unopened deliveries are a sign. Her last relationship--to a burnout named Leif--ended in flames. And she's a perpetual disappointment to her traditional Japanese parents, especially to her mother, who keeps presenting her with dating prospects found in church.

Then she receives the surprise of her life--a phone call from Penny, the baby she placed for adoption sixteen years ago. Now a headstrong teenager, Penny is eager to learn all about Mika, who she is and what her dreams are. The harder-won heart belongs to Thomas Calvin, Penny's adoptive widower father. What starts as a rocky relationship with him slowly blossoms into friendship and, just maybe, something more.

Faced with her own insecurities, Mika at first embellishes the facts about her life. But Penny's love revives so many of the dreams she once had, especially those about being an artist and making a difference in the world... ultimately forcing her to answer the question, Just who is Mika in real life?

We'll Never Be Apart was inspired by Emiko Jean's work with foster children as an elementary school math teacher. She and her spouse reside in Seattle, Washington.